A wetter than usual rainy season is expected over western and central Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, southeastern South Sudan, western Kenya, eastern and central Uganda. The season is expected to start early in most farming areas of the region.

Exceptionally heavy seasonal rains across East Africa since late April have resulted in widespread floods that caused a heavy loss of life and property, compounding the risks to human health and food security from the COVID-19 pandemic and the most serious desert locust invasion in decades.

The Sixth Pacific Island Climate Outlook Forum (PICOF) ushered in a new era for the forum, which brings together representatives of Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), regional partners and global climate centres to ensure consistency in the access to and the interpretation of climate information for the Pacific and the implications for critical sectors.

The 2020 rainy season for the Sudanian and Sahelian zones is expected to be wetter than average. Indeed, above average rainfall amounts relative to the 1981-2010 period are expected over the entire Sahelian strip.

Low-lying islands in the South-west Pacific Ocean are counting the human and economic toll of Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold, which destroyed key infrastructure and highlighted the challenges of disaster and public health management in the COVID-19 era. At its peak, Harold was the equivalent of a Category 5 level hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

A new partnership has been cemented to boost provision of targeted weather and climate information and services for renewable energy to help cut emissions of greenhouse gases and tackle climate change.

An operational system has been developed and implemented for the Fiji Islands to produce and disseminate new early warning information on coastal flooding, which will help save lives and protect property in low-lying, populated coastal areas. There is potential to enhance this early warning platform in the future and to extend it to other South Pacific island nations, and even consider extension to include other coastal flooding sources such as tsunamis.

Flash floods cause more than 5,000 deaths worldwide annually, exceeding any other flood-related event. As the global population increases, especially in urban areas, and societies continue to encroach upon floodplains, the need for flash flood early warning systems becomes more paramount.